Photo printing machine



Aug. 25,1931. L. s. RENNICK 1,820,494

PHOTOPRINTING MACHINE Filed IP 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l NQ um 14 uul db ummn In] mum Aug. 25, 1931. L. s. RENNICK PHOTOPRINTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 17. 1928 w u w J ll llll l l .llll F I 4 rd I Patented Aug. 25, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LYLE S. RENNICK, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TOHARTSOOK-RENNICK, INC., LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PHOTO PRINTING MACHINE Application filed April 17,

directly against the face thereof to illuminate the same, the light reflected from said face being-focused upon a sensitized sheet to expose and print a photographic image thereon. The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved method and machine wherein a sheet of sensitized paper is exposed and printed by means of light reflected from the face of a negative or the like to be printed.

Another object is to provide an improved device whereby photo prints may be made effectively from paper negatives.

A further object is to provide an improved device which will facilitate the obtaining of artistic effects and finishes, and which will obtain uniformity of exposure throughout a number of prints and throughout the area of each print.

Another object is to provide an improved device whereby the degree of contrast may be easily regulated, and in which the contrast of high light and shadow may be maintained without over or under exposing any portion of a print.

A further object is to provide an improved device which will facilitate the reducing or enlarging of the size of the printed image.

The use of paper negatives presents a number of material advantages, the more important of which are :that it effects a very that the lights and shadows appear in true contrast and are reproduced in like true contrast upon the prints; and that the negatives are more easily and conveniently stored and 1928. Serial No. 270,635.

preserved for further use without danger of breakage or scratching.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the improved device disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present application wherein like characters of reference are used to designate similar parts throughout the specification and drawings, and in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved photo printing device, portions being broken away and shown in section to disclose the interior construction and arrangement;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device, partly in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a transverse "section looking downwardly upon the line XX of Fig. 1, and including a conventional wiring diagram of the lighting circuits;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view looking upwardly upon the line X-X of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail, drawn upon a larger scale, and showing the manner in which light is projected upon the face of the negative and a bordered matt; and

Fig. 6 is a broken sectional detail of the focusing means.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 is used to designate in general a housing consisting of a central body portion provided with upwardly extending portions 2 and downwardly extending portions 3 arranged at each side of the body portion. The body portion is hollow and has openings 4 and 6 formed in the top and bottom thereof respectively between the extensions 2 and 3. The extensions 2 and 3 are open at both top and bottom and are provided with a plurality of bafiles 7 inclined alternately in o posite directions and from opposite sides 0 the extensions to provide a tortuous air passage adapted to permit a circulation of air upwardly through said extensions to ventilate the housing and to effectually obstruct the passage of light.

A cover 8 is hingedly mounted upon the top of the central body portion of the housing 1 and arranged to be moved to cover the opening 4 therein.

An extendible light impervious bellows 9.

is mounted below the central body portion of the housing between the downward extensions 3, the upper end being held closely around the opening 6 by a frame 11. The lower end of the bellows is secured upon a frame 12 slidably movable between the extensions 3. A suitable lens 14 is mounted within the center of the frame 12. The frame 12 is arranged to be raised or lowered, preferby means of a suitable actuating mechanism,

preferably a hydraulically actuated plunger rod 22 having its upper end engaging a transverse beam 23 extending across the bottom of the housing. The specific structure of the liftingmeans forms no part of the present invention and a detailed disclosure of said means is herein unnecessary.

A plurality of lighting elements 24 are .mounted within the sides of the central body portion of the housing 1. The elements 24 aremounted upon supporting members 26 extending transversely across the housing in alinement with the extensions 2 and 3. The elements 24 are connected to a suitable source of electrical energy in any convenient manner by electrical connections 26, 27 28 and 29, connecting the elements 24' together through a single control switch 31 whereby the several elements may be turned on and off simultaneously. The switch 31 is preferably a suitable timing switch arranged to be operated to energize the lighting elements for a measured lapse of time and to break the circuit at the end of a predetermined period. As the switch constitutes no part of the present invention n0 specific form of switch is illustrated or described herein. The lighting elements 24 are arranged below the plane of the opening 4, and are of a type adapted to project an intense actinic light, as indicated by the dot and dash rays indicated in Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings.

In addition to the lighting elements 24, a pair of lighting elements 33, are mounted adjacent the elements 24. The elements 33 are of a type such as ruby lamps, adapted to project a non-actinic light, and are connected to a source of energy by connections 34, 35, 36, and 37 through a control switch 38 of any suitable type.

. The elements 24 and 33 when energized generate a high heat within the housing.

The ventilating passages at the sides provide an upward circulation of air whereby excess heat is carried away and overheating of the housing is prevented.

In operation, the printing device is installed in a suitable dark room, the housing being mounted upon the guides 21 and the raising and lowering means operatively connected for adjusting the position of the housing along the guides. The lighting elements 24 and 33 are connected to a source of electrical energy, the circuit through the nonactinic lighting elements being normally closed while the machine is in use to maintain a steady non-actinic light while the circuit through the element 24 is normally broken by the timing switch 31.

When prints are to be made, a negative 31 is applied over the opening 4 in the top of the central body portion of the housing 1, the cover 8 being swung upwardly to admit the negative and then lowered to hold the negative in position across the opening and to prevent the passage of light outwardly from the top of the housing. The non-actinic lighting elements 33 illuminate the face of the negative and light reflected from the face of the negative is received and focused by the lens 14 to form a positive image of the negative upon the surface of a piece of sensitized paper 42 placed directly below the lens 14 upon a suitable supporting member 43. The non-actinic light does not effect the print paper but produces a true image whereby an operator may adjust the lens to obtain the desired focus. The machine is focused by raising or lowering the lens 14 by means of the gears 15 and rocks 17. The appearance of the print may be varied to obtain a desired effect by a proper adjustment of the focus. Thus, if a sharp contrast is desired the lens is focused accurately, while by adjusting the lens slightly out of focus a softer tone and contrast is obtainable. By raising or lowering the entire housing, the distance from the lens 14 to the sheet 42 may be varied to enlarge or reduce the size of the image as desired.

After the desired focus has been obtained and the sensitized sheet placed in the desired position to receive the image, the switch 31 is actuated to close the circuit through the actinic lighting elements 24. Light from the elements 24 is then projected onto the inner face of the negative as indicated by dot and dash lines and is reflected from said face downwardly through the lens 14 and onto the sensitized sheet 42 to expose the same as indicated by light broken lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The entire face of the negative is illuminated uniformly and the light is reflected proportionately to the degree of density occurring at each point upon the negative.

Thus the light is reflected to a very high degree from the white portions of the negative and the corresponding portions of the image are exposed to obtain a dense exposure for the dark portions and shadows of the print, while little or no light is reflected from the dark. portions of the negative, thereby leaving the corresponding portions of the image unexposed to produce the light areas and highlights of the print. The lighting circuit through the elements 24 is allowed to remain closed for a' measured period of time to obtain the desired exposure. At the end of said period, the circuit through the elements 24 is broken and the exposed sheet 42 removed and a fresh sheet positioned in its place and printed in the same manner.

By the use of a suitable timing switch, the period of exposure can be efiiciently regulated to obtainexactly theproper exposure, and successive prints will be exposed uniformly and each finished print will be exactly the same as every other print. The refiected light produces a true and accurate image, and the detail present in the shadowed portions of the print is accurately reproduced without over exposing anv portion of the area of the print.

In many cases it is desired to provide the print with a printed border, such prints being known as border prints. In my improved device and method the print can be printed with such borders at a single operation. This is accomplished by placing a I suitable mask 44 around the negative 41, the

placing the mask and negative together over the opening 4 so that the mask with its border 46 and the uncovered portion of the negative will be exposed to the lighting means within the housing, as best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. When now the lighting elements 24 are energized, actinic light will be projected uniformly over the exposed surface of the negative and the border surrounding it, and a true image of both the negative and the border will be focused upon the sensitized sheet 42. This insures an accurate and uniform exposure of the negative and border, and permits border prints to be made without increase in time, labor, or expense.

The term negative as used throughout the present application refers primarily to a paper photographic negative consisting of a sheet of sensitized paper exposed in a camera in the ordinary manner. However, the term is not limited to this particular type of negative but expressly includes photographic negatives of other kinds-as well as imprinted webs or devices of numerous other types, a reversed image of which it is desired to print photographically upon a sensiitized sheet. Thus negative prints may be made from a positive print, or from printed sheets or other objects in the manner above described.

While I have illustrated and described only the preferred embodiment of my invention, the method may of course be carried out in a device modified in a great number of ways. I therefore do not wish to restrict myself to the specific structure of the machine as disclosed, but desire to avail myself of all modifications which may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A photo printing device comprising an H-shaped housing comprising a central body portion having openings formed in the top and bottom thereof, and vertically disposed side portions having vent passages extending vertically therethrough at each side of the central portion, said vent passages opening into the central body portion and being provided with light obstructing bafiies; lighting elements mounted within the sides of the body portion in vertical alinement with the side portions and arranged to project light onto the inner surface of a negative placed over the opening in the top of the body portion; light focusing means mounted below the body portion in alinement with the openings therein to focus light reflected from the under surface of the negative onto a piece of sensitized paper supported below the housing; and a light confining bellows connected between the focusing means and the housing.

2. A photo printing device comprising an H-shaped housing comprising a central body portion having openings formed in the top and bottom thereof, and vertically disposed side portions having vent passages extend- I ing vertically therethrough at each side of the central portion, said vent passages opening into the central body portion and being provided with light obstructing baffles lighting elements mounted within the sides of the body portion in vertical alinement with the side portions and arranged to project light onto the inner surfaces of a negative placed over the opening in the top of the body portion; light focusing means mounted below the body portion in alinement with theopenings therein and between the downwardly extending side portions to focus light reflected from the under surface of the negative onto a piece of sensitized paper supported below the housing; and a light confining bellows connected between the focusing means and the housing; and means for adjustably supporting the housing whereby the housing may be raised or lowered to enlarge or reduce the image projected onto the sensitized paper.

3. A photo printing device comprising an H-shaped housing comprising a central body portion having openings formed in the top and bottom thereof, and vertically disposed side portions having vent passages extending vertically therethrough at each side of the central portion, said vent passages opening into the central body portion and being provided with light obstructing bafiies; actinic lighting elements mounted Within the sides of the body portion in vertical alinement with the vent passages in the side portions 4 and arranged to project light onto the inner tions of the housing and engaged by the pinions for adjusting the focusing means vertically relative to the housing; and means for adjusting the housing vertically.

4. A photo printing device comprising an H-shaped housing comprising a central body portion having openings formed in the top and bottom thereof, and vertically disposed side portions having vent passages extending vertically therethrough at each side of the central portion, said vent passages opening into the central body portion and being provided with light obstructing baffles; actinic lighting elements mounted within the sides of the body portion in vertical alinenient with the vent passages in the side portions and arranged to project light onto the inner surface of a negative placed over the opening in the top of the body portion; a light confining bellows mounted between the downwardly extending side portions and having its upper end connected to the central body over the lower opening therein; light focusing means mounted upon the lower end of the bellows to direct light reflected from the face of the negative onto a piece of sensitized paper supported; below the housing; adjusting pinions mounted in connection with the focusing means; racks mounted upon the inner sides of the downwardly projecting portions of the housing and engaged by the pinions for adjusting the focusing means vertically relative to the housing; means for adjusting the housing vertically and nonactinic lighting means mounted within the housing to project non-actinic light upon the face of the negative for reflection through the focusing means onto the sensitized paper independently of the actinic lighting means.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my signature.

LYLE S. RENNICK. 

